The Ohio State Buckeyes community is in a state of mourning after the passing of one of the longest-tenured head coaches in the history of the athletic program.
On Wednesday, Ohio State announced the passing for longtime men’s tennis coach John Daly who died at the age of 78.
Daly coached at Ohio State for 28 years from 1972 to 1999 – one of the longest-tenured head coaches in the history of the athletic program.
During his time at Ohio State and coached the first three All-Americans in program history including Francisco Gonzalez in 1975 and 1976, Ernie Fernandez in 1981, and current Ohio State tennis coach Ty Tucker in 1990 and 1991.
During his time with the Buckeyes, Daly led Ohio State to 13 top-four finishes in the conference standings, including one conference title in 1991. He also coached six 31 All-Big Ten selections and six Big Ten singles and doubles champions.
Following his retirement in 1999, Ohio State chose to hire one of his former players to replace him with Ty Tucker taking over as the program’s head coach. Tucker has since picked up right where he left off and helped build Ohio State into one of the most dominant and consistent tennis programs in the country.
Needless to say, this loss
“So sad! John was my first coach at NIU and a terrific guy! Deepest condolences to his family and many friends! RIP Coach!!” one former player said on social media.
“Saddened to hear of Coach Daly’s passing. Thank you Coach & Godspeed,” another fan added.
“Rest in peace,” another fan added.
“Great individual who taught physical education classes and did not have unrealistic expectations for students who never played tennis . Instilled an appreciation of the game and sportsmanship,” a fan wrote in the comments of the article.
Clearly, Daly will be missed dearly.
